Helina duocolorata, Couri, Márcia & Pont, Adrian, 2016

Couri, Márcia & Pont, Adrian, 2016, New African species of Helina Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera, Muscidae), Zootaxa 4103 (4), pp. 374-382 : 375-378

Helina duocolorata sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 , 5–8 )

Type material examined. Holotype male. KENYA: E. Africa, Mt. Kenya, Kathita River, 9,900 ft, 7.viii.1949, J. A. Riley.

Diagnosis. Scutum mostly yellow and abdomen uniformly grey pollinose; male holoptic; anterior postsutural intraalar setae present; prealar seta absent; katepisternal setae 1:2; fore tibia with a posterior median seta; mid tibia with 1 median anterodorsal seta; hind tibia without a posterodorsal seta; wing with brown spots surrounding crossveins r-m and dm-cu.

Description. General colouration. Yellow on scutum and grey on abdomen. Frons dark brown; fronto-orbital plate, face, parafacial and gena grey pollinose; antenna, arista and palpus dark brown; scutum almost all yellow, with three whitish pollinose vittae, one median and the outside pair along the dorsocentral row of setae, the area between the third and fourth postsutural dorsocentral setae and disc of scutellum grey pollinose ( Fig. 1 ); calypters yellow; haltere white; wing with brown spots on crossveins r-m and dm-cu; legs mostly yellow, except for coxae and fore femur grey pollinose, apical half of mid tibia brownish and tarsi brown; abdomen uniformly brown with grey pollinosity.

Male. Body length: 7.0 mm; wing length: 7.2 mm.

Head. Holoptic; eye bare; 4 pairs of frontal setae, all inserted below middle of frons, the one closest to lunule longer; inner and outer vertical setae moderate in size, shorter than the ocellars, which are also more robust; antenna inserted at mid-level of eye; postpedicel about twice the length of pedicel; arista plumose; palpus filiform.

Thorax. Dorsocentral setae 2+3, all long; prescutellar acrostichal pair of setae not differentiated; 2 postpronotal setae; 1 presutural and 2 postsutural intraalar setae; 1 supraalar seta; 1 postalar seta; prealar seta absent; notopleuron with 2 setae, the posterior slightly shorter than anterior; anepisternum with a series of 6 long setae; katepisternals 1+2; scutellum with 1 long basal and 1 long apical pair of setae, similar in length; margins and ventral surface bare.

Legs. Fore femur with rows of posteroventral and posterodorsal setae; fore tibia with a short median posterior seta, 1 preapical dorsal and 1 ventral apical; mid femur with 3 well-spaced ventral setae on basal half and 2 preapical dorsals; mid tibia with 2 posterior setae on middle third, 1 short dorsal preapical, and apical setae on posteroventral, anteroventral and ventral surfaces, the last two longer and similar in size; hind femur with complete rows of anterodorsal and anteroventral setae, those in anteroventral row more spaced, posterodorsal surface with a seta at apical fifth; hind tibia with 2 anterodorsals on middle third, 1 anteroventral basad of them, and 1 ventral apical.

Wing. Veins bare; veins R4+5 and M parallel at wing-tip; costal spine not distinct; lower calypter about twice the length of the upper one.

Abdomen. Syntergite 1+2 and tergite 3 each with one long lateral pair of setae; tergite 3 with a marginal row of setae; tergites 4 and 5 each with a discal and marginal row of setae; sternite 1 bare; sternite 5 triangular ( Fig. 5 ).

Terminalia . Cercal plate as long as wide and surstylus as in Figs 6–7 . Aedeagal complex as in Fig. 8 .

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Kenya (Kathita River).

Etymology. The specific epithet duocolorata is derived from the Latin duo (“two”) and colorata (“coloured”), and refers to the two contrasting colours of the scutum and abdomen.

Notes. The new species runs to couplet 38 and H. brunnescens Emden in Emden’s (1951) key, but the general colour of the scutum and abdomen is not contrasting in H. brunnescens . Also, in the new species the scutum is almost entirely yellow, with three whitish pollinose vittae and the presutural dorsocentral setae are indistinct.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Dorsal view of holotypes: (1) Helina duocolorata sp. nov., holotype male; (2) Helina longicerca sp. nov., holotype male; (3) Helina mediomaculata sp. nov., holotype male; (4) Helina sexnotata sp. nov., holotype female.

FIGURES 5 – 12. (5 – 8) Helina duocolorata sp. nov., male: (5) sternite 5, dorsal view; (6) cercal plate and surstyli, dorsal view; (7) cercal plate and surstyli, lateral view; (8) aedeagal complex, lateral view. (9 – 12) Helina longicerca sp. nov., male: (9) sternite 5, dorsal view; (10) cercal plate and surstyli, dorsal view; (11) cercal plate and surstyli, lateral view; (12) aedeagal complex, lateral view.